This controversial study says acupuncture may ease baby colic

Sounds strange, doesn’t it? While I’m aware of the fact that their are specialists in paediatric acupuncture who do treat children, using this technique to treat baby colic seems a bit farfetched.

Going by this report, in a controversial study based out of Sweden, the babies crying of colic may be soothed with acupuncture. However, UK-based experts suggest that a conclusion of this magnitude can’t be made basis such a small study of 147 babies aged between two to eight months.

According to this study, the time the babies spent crying excessively reduced in the group of babies they researched on. However, as distressing and trying it is to attend to baby crying of colic, it’s quite an harmless affliction. There are many ways in which the baby can be soothed, and clearly, acupuncture doesn’t figure in that list.

Colicky babies usually cry uncontrollably for 2-3 hours at a stretch and there is nothing that seems to relieve them. While baby colic is definitely not something you need to worry about as a parent, it is quite unnerving. Watching the infant cry like he in some terrible pain and we are nothing but helpless in his ordeal, is quite distressing.

So how do we help soothe baby colic? Here are some effective tips to keep in mind. A few worked for my girl, when she went through that colicky phase. I hope they help you as well:

• What are you feeding him: Sometimes babies get irritable because of what we feed them or what the mum consumes if he is on exclusive breastmilk. Try cutting down on one of the two, or make changes in your food pattern. Avoid having gassy stuff and avoid giving him cow's milk. While there is no direct co-relation, it may make them irritable. Also, always remember to burp him after each feed.

• Rhythmic sound or movement helps: Walking or rocking the baby may soothe his colic. You could just hold him close to you and gently rock him back and forth. You could put him in a swing and again, gently rock the swing. On some days my daughter would calm down as soon as we'd secure her in her car seat and go for a drive. The barely-there buzz of the car coupled with the motion would soothe her.
• Stop judging yourself: Yes, the love of your life is crying and has been crying since the past hour or so. Yes, nothing you do seems to relieve him. But that doesn’t make you an incapable parent. Did you know, colic usually doesn’t have a ‘cure’ as such? So the paediatrician may have given you some gas-relieving drops. But gas could be just one of the many reasons and that medicine need not necessarily work each time.

I recall rushing to the doctor the first time my baby showed signs of colic. I was in tears. The paediatrician, a senior gentleman, looked at me, then looked at the baby and said, "Stop crying." I said, "I don't think she's even listening to you." He snorts, "I was asking you to stop crying. If you intend to cry, be prepared to cry for 3-months, for this is colic and will last for at least that long." Guess what? She was just a week over three months, and I was prepping myself for the colic-cry to begin. It didn't. No, I didn't rush to the doctor to give him a hug. I had a feeling he wasn't into melodrama. So, the point here is, relax. If it's colic, he'll be fine.

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